Johnston: Alternate approach unwanted

No, not the way they continually outperform every other team, although they have won a few World Series through the years.

We're talking uniforms here. Not pitching staffs or their ability to collect all-stars or how much money they spend.

They have two uniforms. That's it.

The well-known classy pinstripes for the home folks.

The gray on the road.

That's all they need, and the rest of baseball should use that as an example.

Andy

Johnston

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You won't find so-called alternate jerseys in their lockers. No special Sunday afternoon garb. No camouflage. No limited usage hat to be worn only on Wednesday afternoons against left-handers with losing records. Not with these guys.

Two is enough.

Call me old-fashioned, stuck in my ways or just plain narrow-minded, but teams have too many uniforms these days. There are 98 jerseys in use by the 30 major league teams this year, with the Rockies, Mets and Astros each deciding to go with five different jerseys.

Forget about dressing in cramped cubbyholes. These guys need walk-in lockers. And just imagine if women played. Ever hear of a wardrobe delay?

Of course, this has caused plenty of confusion among those who need to start setting the TiVo for "What Not To Wear."

Last Sunday, Houston's Craig Biggio slipped on the wrong jersey, grabbing the red one with "Houston" on the front, instead of the red one with "Astros" across the chest. Easy mistake to make, especially since the wrong jersey was from the 2003 road collection, not the 2005 home version he was supposed to wear.

No wonder doubleheaders are a thing of the past.

I know, I know, marketing is at the root of this unholy uniform influx.

A new jersey means extra bucks. Sales and revenue skyrocketed for the Mets and seven other teams when they introduced black jerseys. It's the small-market way of keeping up with the big boys, although seven teams, including the Yankees, find they can make it through life just fine with only two jerseys. And this select group includes the new Washington Nationals, who could have emptied the country's coffers had they decided to go with a different design.

The Mets like their alternate look so much, they have a black jersey for the road and one for home. The Red Sox wore special gold-trimmed jerseys for their ring ceremonies last Monday, and 10 other teams have alternate jerseys for both the road and home.

And now, regrettably, the Braves are in on the act.

They were so dazzled by their sparkling new red jerseys last Sunday, they managed only two hits in a loss to the Mets.

Fortunately, the Braves only will wear those shirts for Sunday afternoon home games because they're so gaudy they look like something Xzibit would design for a new show called "Pimp My Jersey."

The Braves made an excellent uniform change in 1987, when they traded their powder-blue softball pullovers for the traditional look they now sport. They've been just fine with these uniforms and have experienced the most success in the history of the franchise.

Now we have to experience these red monstrosities for the rest of the summer and no telling for how many seasons to come. At $169.99 a jersey (mlb.com), the Braves have joined the marketing wave that is engulfing baseball, even though Mr. Blackwell might not approve with their choice.

Success, it seems, just isn't enough these days.

Yes, teams are working too hard trying to catch up to the Yankees. Perhaps they should just stick with what works.